Captain Nicholas “Santa” Claus was back on the water last Thursday as the Jingle Boat Express sailed a record four sailings from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., carrying 320 passengers and 240 children.
Organizers Northern Savings, Success by 6, Prince Rupert Early Years and the Prince Rupert Port Authority immediately sold out of tickets for the four sailings and the event continues to be one of the most in-demand functions in the city.
“I think [the appeal comes from] the opportunity to see the Prince Rupert harbour, to be on a first-class vessel like the ones that West Coast Launch Adventure Tours operate. The kids love Santa Claus, so it kind of hits on all the key points on people in Prince Rupert – the holidays, maritime, family, friends, fun and Santa Claus,” said Northern Savings organizer Stefan Delloch.
“You couldn’t do something like this in Terrace. In the previous versions, the rail traffic with the event was becoming a main concern because of how congested the rail lines were becoming, which is a great thing for the regional economy. When the organizers took over the event last year, we knew we wanted to do something a little bit different, that we had a little bit more control of and Adventure Tours is a first-class organization to work with - they’ve been phenomenal.”
Santa visited all 240 kids throughout the day, took pictures and asked each one what they’d like for Christmas.